Risen
by SplendentGoddess
Summary: In her depression, her desperation, Kagome had fallen further than he ever could have imagined. Given a second chance to do right by his mate, Inuyasha vows to himself to never let her feel unloved ever again. Direct sequel to "Fallen". Contains lemons.


Blanket Disclaimer:

Inuyasha, and the characters therein, are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. I am in no way affiliated with Takahashi, or VIZ Productions.

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A/N:

This one-shot is a direct sequel to the one-shot Fallen. I strongly recommend reading Fallen first.

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~ Risen ~

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Inuyasha flew as fast as his feet would carry him, barely making physical contact with the branches that he propelled himself from, cradling his precious cargo as close to his chest as possible as he raced towards his destination.

"Stupid fucking bitch..." he cursed to himself quietly, using his anger to stifle his tears, "Why?"

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**~~~Flashback~~~**

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"Inuyasha?" his friend, who was really more of a brother, addressed from below his perch.

"Yeah, Miroku, what is it?" the hanyou answered, not attempting to hide the scowl in his voice at having been disturbed from his thoughts.

"It's Kagome…"

Miroku suddenly found himself nose to nose with an anxious inu-hanyou.

"What is it? Is she okay?"

"She…" The monk paused, unsure of how to say it, before finally deciding to just be direct. "She won't eat, Inuyasha." Miroku confessed. "Sango and I have both tried to make her see reason, but it's like her will to live has been ripped from her along with her homeland." he stated.

"Why didn't anyone fucking tell me?" Inuyasha bellowed in angered surprise.

"I'm telling you now." the houshi answered, not wishing to betray the fact that Kagome had specifically requested it of both himself and Sango to _not _tell their hanyou companion of her current condition.

Walking away without another word, Inuyasha marched himself straight towards Kaede's hut, not bothering to knock first when he got there.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome jumped in surprise upon seeing his hasty entrance.

Surveying the room, he noted that Kaede was currently not at home, presumably out gathering herbs, which left he and Kagome alone for the moment. Good.

"Eat." he said simply, coming right to the point.

"I…I don't-"

"Cut the crap Kagome, and just eat something, now." he said as he proceeded to plop himself down, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Obviously, he intended on staying put until he _saw _her eat.

Kagome, capable of being just as stubborn as he was, crossed her arms dramatically - as she was already sitting - and proceeded to argue, "I'm not hungry."

"I don't really care." he answered matter-of-factly, as he proceeded to rummage through her bag for any remaining ninja food she might still have.

"Hey!" _That _got her attention. "Get out of my bag! It's mine!" she yelled childishly as she flung herself at him, proceeding to snatch her backpack out of his hands. It had contained no food, anyway. "It's all I have left…" she trailed off, wiping her nose.

"All you have left?" he echoed, understanding slowly dawning.

They had all known it was a possibility that the well would close up on her once the jewel was purified, although he'd also known that she'd hoped against hope that that wouldn't be the case. Inuyasha knew that she'd gotten to say goodbye to her family, though the entire procedure had been kind of rushed, with the battle with Naraku lingering on the horizon, and she hadn't been given the time necessary to pack anything extra she might have wanted to take with her for the long haul.

His heart going out to her in that moment, Inuyasha tried to sympathize, taking a moment to speak of his own past; something he usually never did.

"I…I know what it's like…to suddenly have nothing left." he mumbled somberly, and the unintentional quiver in his voice succeeded in capturing her attention.

"Inuyasha?"

"When my mother died…" He paused to steady his voice, "I was exiled from my home village."

Kagome's breathing hitched. She knew he'd only been a small child when his mother had passed away.

"All I have from my life with her is my kimono." he stated next, before quietly adding, "And my memories."

Kagome lowered her head in understanding, but raised it again to meet his gaze when she heard him continue with, "You're so lucky, Kagome."

"What…what do you mean?"

Laughing sadly, he shrugged, and said, "You got to say goodbye."

With tears welling in her eyes, Kagome's heart went out to him, as she completely forgot about her own problems for the moment. "Oh…Inuyasha…"

Raising a hand to stave off her sympathy, he shook his head, and said, "That was a long time ago, and I'm fine now, just like you will be, but not unless you _eat _something."

Nodding her deeper understanding and agreement, Kagome remained sitting where she was, as Inuyasha proceeded to scoop her up a bowl of the stew that Kaede had made earlier that morning.

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**~~~End Flashback~~~**

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Entering the Western Lands, it didn't take Inuyasha long at all to sniff out his brother's location. He'd know that bastard's stink anywhere, though grumbling in the back of his mind, the hanyou realized that he'd better be polite and reframe from uttering any such 'endearments'out loud, under the circumstances.

"Sesshoumaru!" he called, approaching his brother's entourage.

"Kagome!" Rin cried out upon recognizing whose lifeless form Inuyasha was carrying.

"Inuyasha…" Sesshoumaru addressed with a slight nod of his head, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

His sarcasm was a tangible thing. The Daiyoukai was forced, through honor, to be nice to the half-breed who had single-handedly saved the life of his ward. He still loathed himself for ever having gotten himself into the predicament that had allowed such a thing to happen in the first place. To become indebted to the hanyou…it was beyond despicable.

"Cut the crap." said hanyou growled low in that moment, as he gently laid Kagome's cold and broken body upon the soft grass. "I know you hate being in my debt, so do this one thing for me and we're totally even."

Wordlessly, Sesshoumaru stepped forward, his gaze analyzing the deceased human presented before him. She smelled of death, obviously, but beyond that, she smelled strongly of his brother. Too strongly.

"You mated with her." he stated.

"What the hell difference does _that _make?" Inuyasha was getting pissed, but quickly tried to calm himself down. It wouldn't do to anger his brother now.

"To me?" Sesshoumaru inquired, eyebrow raised. "It makes none, however…" He placed his right hand upon Tenseiga's hilt, feeling the blade pulse with agreement. "It would seem that Tenseiga has chosen to take pity upon your plight. It was Father's sword, after all."

Inuyasha stared in silent wonder, mixed with confusion, at the realization that Sesshoumaru had more or less just admitted that the sword actually had a conscious say when it came to who was saved and who was not.

_It's a sword of protection_…he realized silently, _Just like it's mate, Tetsusaiga_.

Inuyasha seriously doubted, though, that the physical mating between himself and Kagome had anything to do with it. His desire to save the miko would have been just as strong, regardless. It was his _love _for the human woman that Tenseiga was responding to, pure and simply.

As Sesshoumaru raised the sword of Heaven higher, he marveled briefly at the imps of the underworld, the little cretins gawking in confusion at the fact that the girl only possessed half a soul. That fact had actually concerned Sesshoumaru, to be honest, but he was silently relieved to learn that his beliefs had proven true. That false miko, the one comprised of clay and bones, she was not the rightful vessel for their shared soul, and therefore, Kagome's remaining half had not fled to Kikyou's body upon her death, unlike what would have happened were it Kikyou who had fallen, instead.

Slicing through the miserable beings that only he could see, he exiled them once again to the netherworld, as the life forces of the human left behind slowly started to return to her.

Holding his breath until he saw Kagome take her first, Inuyasha was unsuccessful in preventing a single tear from sliding down his cheek, and his eyes met his brother's with sincerity as he choked out a muffled, "Thank you."

"My debt is repaid." Sesshoumaru answered, turning to leave.

Scooping Kagome up in his arms once more, Inuyasha relished in the feel of her natural warmth returning to her, and quickly, he turned and headed out of his brother's lands, as he searched for a suitable place to rest for the night. It was much too late now to head straight back to Kaede's village, as it'd taken nearly half the day to get to the West in the first place. Kagome would be exhausted when she woke, and he wanted to find a safe place to let her sleep.

"Never again, Kagome." he voiced as he raced through the trees once more. "I'm never letting you go again."

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**~~~Flashback~~~**

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"Kagome...?"

"Yeah?" The melancholy tone of her voice was enough to shoot daggers straight through his heart.

"Can…" Pausing to find his nerve, Inuyasha started again. "Can I talk to you?"

"About what?"

She offered him a smile, and while he was thankful for it, it just wasn't the same. Her smile hadn't been the same since the day the well had closed on her, nearly two months ago. After finally getting her to eat four days after the fact, he'd spent his every waking moment tending to her needs. She had slipped into what he'd learned from Sango was called a 'depression', which meant that she was _beyond _sad, and cheering her up was going to prove much more difficult than usual. He could see an improvement in her, though, and for that, he was grateful.

"You know I care about you, right?" he asked, waiting on her nod before he continued.

"It's hurting me, to see you like this." he spoke softly, reaching up and cupping her cheek with his right hand.

Inuyasha had touched her more often in the last couple of months than all of the physical contact the pair had ever engaged in before, combined. He often let Kagome lean against him for no reason, resting her head on his shoulder, and he would always respond by leaning into her in turn, resting his own head upon hers.

"When you say…" he continued after a moment, "…that you feel _alone_…" he paused to breathe, "Does that include me?"

Her eyes widened in surprise, and she reached up, trapping his hand on her cheek with her own hand, so that he could not lower it. "Of course not…" she whispered. "It's just…" Pausing, she stifled a sob then tried again. "It's just in my head, I suppose." She feigned a chuckle. "I know I'm all screwed up right now, and I'm sorry…" A silent tear slipped past her eyes, wetting his hand. He didn't even flinch at the sensation.

"Just so long as you know you're not really alone."

"Of course."

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**~~~End Flashback~~~**

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"I was wrong, wasn't I, Kagome?" he asked her quiet form, while adding another few sticks to the fire. "You felt alone all along, and you never told me. Why?"

Hearing her moan softly, Inuyasha was instantly at her side, and when Kagome opened her eyes, she found her gaze cross-eyed, as she tried to focus on the amber orbs that stared down into her chocolate ones, not two inches in front of her face.

"Inuyasha? What-" Her confused line of questioning was cut off, or rather, _delayed_, as she suddenly found his lips smashed passionately against her own.

"You stupid fucking bitch…" he laughed nervously with relief as he pulled away, smirking as his comment only proved to add further confusion to her already questioning gaze, "Don't you ever leave me again!" he commanded, lightly nipping at her nose.

"Leave…you…?" Then the memories of what had recently transpired returned to her, and suddenly, she found her bravado, as she asked sarcastically, "Wasn't it _you _who left _me?"_

"Absolutely not." he admonished instantly.

Taken aback by his assertiveness, Kagome lost some of her resolve, but nonetheless tried to counter with, "But, I saw-" He wouldn't even let her bother.

"You saw nothing, koibito…" he cooed lovingly, once again cupping her cheek, urging her eyes to focus on his, to really _see _him as he said this. "I was telling her goodbye. I was telling her that I chose _you_."

Upon seeing her genuine shock, and humility, Inuyasha asked in a rather dumfounded manner, "Why would you think I'd _ever_ choose her, after everything we've been through?"

"I…I hadn't figured you'd choose…at all…" Her voice was soft, but her pain was palpable.

"What the hell does _that_ mean?" he demanded softly, "I'm building us our own hut!"

"What does _that _mean?" she countered, finding enough strength to sit up. "I know what it would mean to a human, but you're _not _a human, are you?" she asked, not in a way meant to be rude, or hurtful, but simply a fact. "I don't know what I am to you." she continued, and he could see that she was finally spilling forth a pain she'd obviously kept bottled up for quite some time now. "Kouga told me a few things, Inuyasha, but I never wanted to listen to him, never wanted to believe…"

A growl escaped him at _that _name, but he managed to quiet himself enough to let her continue unhindered.

"What am I, Inuyasha?" she asked him point blank. "Am I your wife, your lover, a friend with benefits, or just a _fuck buddy?" _she screamed in the end.

Surprised, because he'd never heard her cuss before, he quelled his anger over the entire situation at hand, as he ignored her query, asking point blank in return,

"What the hell did that bastard tell you?"

"Only the truth."

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**~~~Flashback~~~**

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With the battle against Naraku pending on the horizon, everyone was on edge, and Kagome, with her recently added dilemma and turmoil, found herself wishing for some time alone, away from everyone else for a moment. Especially from a certain crankier than normal hanyou.

But, she thought with a sigh of exasperation, having some alone time was apparently not meant to be, after all.

"Hey Kagome…"

"Hi, Kouga." she greeted in return, hoping Inuyasha didn't catch the two of them together like this. The alliance was already shaky at best.

"When we defeat Naraku, I'll be returning to my tribe…" the wolf prince stated, in an obvious start to a rather serious conversation. "I want you to come with me."

"You know I can't do that." she said with a tired voice.

_Here we go again_.

"I would be a good mate to you, Kagome, unlike Mutt-face. Just please, promise me you'll at least think about it."

Kagome blushed at the implications of her relationship with Inuyasha, but since her feelings were rather transparent to Kouga already, she decided to just be honest.

"My place is with Inuyasha." she stated simply.

"But he doesn't share your commitment!" the ookami-youkai bellowed more in frustration than actual anger. He knew damn well how the mutt always ran off after that dead miko. He would _never_ two-time Kagome like that. Wolves mated for life!

"Wolves mate for life, Kagome." he told her then, though he'd already told her that when they'd first met. "I know Ayame wants me, but I would never, _never _betray you with her, if you were mine."

Smiling at his sincerity, while wishing that someone _else _could profess their feelings to her in such a manner, she politely placed her hand upon his own, and in a soft tone, said, "Go ahead and go with Ayame, Kouga, my place is with Inuyasha."

"Does he even know how you feel?" he asked her next, and his heart crushed upon witnessing the hurt flicker across Kagome's features, before she quickly stifled her uncertainty, stating, "He knows I care."

"And I'm sure that's all he thinks it is, _caring_." the wolf sneered. "Dogs don't mate for life, Kagome. Even if you two mated, that wouldn't mean he couldn't have other females besides you."

Gasping at what he'd just sad, the miko shook her head in disbelief, stating argumentatively, "He's half human-"

"So?" Kouga interrupted. "How loyal do you know most human males to be?"

Kagome's argument died on her lips, her mind fading away to another time, two years prior. She had been in the well, and had overheard Inuyasha and Miroku talking…talking about _Kikyou_. Inuyasha had asked, in his cute, innocent, naïve way, "Can't I have both?" Miroku, in his audacity, had gone on to say something about how he _could_, but how it would be tricky, and she had pretty much stopped listening after that, _sitting_ the hanyou's face into the ground while wishing at the time that she could have done the same thing to Miroku.

Shaking her mind free of the unpleasant memories, Kagome kept her resolve steadfast as she answered with a simple, "Inuyasha wouldn't do that." all the while secretly wondering, how did _she _know?

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**~~~End Flashback~~~**

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Rubbing the palm of his hand down across his face in exasperation, Inuyasha just stared at her silently for a few minutes, before finally asking, "And you believed him?" He knew it was a stupid question, because she obviously had, but he had to say _something_.

"You never gave me any reason to think otherwise."

"I never-?" He cut himself off, realizing with dread that she was actually right. Damn it.

"Kagome," he started again right away, taking both of her hands into his, "Kouga said it that way on purpose, to make me look bad. Just because inu _can _rut without commitment, it doesn't mean that we alwaysdo!"

She wasn't affected by his raised voice, as she simply stared at him, exhausted, but truly listening nonetheless.

He could tell she was tired, but focusing on him and his words despite herself, and for that he was grateful, as he attempted to say what had to be said rather quickly, so that she could rest.

"Wolves are…I don't know, they're wolves!"

She laughed at that, and he smiled in mild embarrassment at his lack of eloquence.

"Inu are like humans, Kagome, in that aspect. Sure we're _capable_ of mating whomever we want, but shit, I have more honor than that." He could feel his patience slipping away, so he quickly tried another approach.

"Do you think Miroku is going to cheat on Sango?"

Her eyes widened at the analogy, but she quickly answered with, "Of course not! But…" Kagome didn't want to finish her thought.

"But?" he egged her on regardless.

"But they're married! He _loves _her!"

"Like I don't fucking love you! Shit Kagome, you should _know _I do!" he spat, not even registering the look of shock that suddenly appeared on her face.

"What?" he asked, his anger rising again.

"You…you've never told me…you loved me."

"Of course I…" he started to protest, until he realized with horror that she was right, again. "Shit."

At that, he drew her into a tight embrace.

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**~~~Flashback~~~**

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He tried to go slow, to be gentle, but she just felt so damn good.

"Are you okay?" he asked her stupidly, knowing she was in pain.

"Ahhh-uhhh, yeah…" she answered, and he had to chuckle at that. He'd told her straight out that he would stop, at any time, if she asked him to, but knowing her, she never would.

Proceeding with caution, he kept his pace slow as he moved within her. She was new, untouched, and she was his. That realization filled him with pride. Gripping her hips gently, Inuyasha made sure not to injure her with his claws, as he gradually picked up his rhythm. For Kagome, the pain never fully subsided, though it did eventually lessen. She was rather uncomfortable on her hands and knees, though she smiled at the gesture he'd made by laying out his suikan for her. He'd also been sure to pleasure her before hand, as he prepared her for entrance, and as a result, she had succeeded in reaching climax by his touch. He knew females didn't usually find much pleasure in their first acts of mating, and so he'd wanted to make sure he could do as much as he could to make it up to her. He really did care, after all.

Wishing he would just hurry it alone, though, Kagome panted out "Go faster." and she smiled at the concern in his voice when he responded with, "Are you sure?"

"Yes please." she answered him, trying not to sound like she was begging.

He must have sensed her distress, as he complied with her wishes. He built his tempo up bit by bit, until finally, he was moving at a swift pace. Inuyasha, also being new and untouched, wasn't able to last very long at that speed, which was likely what Kagome had been hoping for. Reaching climax, he shuddered in pleasure, moaning her name as he tenderly held her to him.

Pulling himself free from her after a moment, he crawled up beside her, pulling her into a lover's embrace.

"I'll never leave you, Kagome. Never." he whispered into her ear.

"Promise?" she asked sleepily.

Smiling, he nuzzled her neck, and answered, "Promise."

"I love you." she said next, and it made his heart soar. Tightening his grip on her then, Inuyasha kissed her tenderly, wishing he could bask in that moment for all eternity. Feeling surprisingly exhausted, he allowed the lull of sleep to consume him, his smile never wavering.

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**~~~End Flashback~~~**

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"Okay…" he conceded, as the memory was shared between them, "But I fucking promised I'd never leave you!" he insisted all the same. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

"I'm sorry..." she murmured through shaky tears, unable to do much of anything else but cry at that point. It was all still so fresh, and confusing, and she still wasn't even certain exactly how she'd come to be in the woods where she was, not recognizing where they were as being anywhere within his forest.

"We've got some major trust issues, Kagome, if you could go and do a thing like this without even fucking bothering to confront me first."

"I trust you…" she whispered dejectedly, "I trust you with my life."

"But obviously, not with your heart." he added for her, and she lowered her eyes in shame.

"I know I hurt you a lot in the past…" he continued after a moment, acknowledging her fears were not necessarily unjustified in their standing, "But _this _inu mates for life, Kagome."

He adjusted their positions so that she was cradled in his lap, her head resting against his chest as he lowered his head enough to rest his chin upon her temple.

"I love you…" he stated clearly, and he could feel her body relax as the words flowed from him. "…and I want you to be my wife." he added after a moment, feeling her embrace on his form tighten, as she clung to him.

"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions…" she said after a moment, failing to notice the way he cringed at her poor choice of words. "…and for letting everything in my head just build up to the point of breaking, without talking to you about it."

He nodded against her, signaling her to continue.

Laughing sarcastically, and feeling rather humbled, she mumbled, "I promise I won't ever try to kill myself again." It was a stupid thing to promise, but then again, it _needed _to have a promise behind it, she felt.

"I certainly hope not." he teased, attempting to hide with humor the genuine turmoil he felt at her action. "I don't think I could get Sesshoumaru to revive you again, if you did."

Raising her eyes to look up into his own, her gaze reflected shock at his words.

"You succeeded, you know." he stated for her confirmation.

Breaking down into a new round of sobs, she crashed herself against him, muttering "I'm sorry" over and over again, as he sat stock still, holding her weeping form, smoothing her hair down her back in an attempt at quieting her tears.

"Shhhhh" he hushed after a moment, whispering, "It's all right koibito, shhhhh, it's all right."

"It's not…" she whined, "I can't believe I did that."

"You were hurting." he stated in an attempt to appeal to her, to understand, "And I was the one hurting you."

"No you weren't." she insisted, "My own stupid paranoia and subconscious were." she stated after a moment, adding, "But I'm better now…I can feel it."

"Good." he nodded against her, relaxing his own posture, which had been relatively stiff up until that moment. "So can I…" he admitted, sensing her aura was indeed happier now than it had been in the last four months.

All she'd needed to do was get all of the crap she'd been bottling up off her chest, and sit down and _talk _with him, but he realized in that moment that he was at least partially to blame, himself, for not having noticed how fragile she had become. Some husband _he _was.

"Promise me you'll talk to me from now on, koi. If there's anything you want to know, just ask me."

She nodded, mumbled "I promise.", and then proceeded to ask, "Will you make love to me?"

"Huh?"

Realizing he was likely unfamiliar with the term, she changed it to, "Mate with me?"

"H-here? _Now?"_

"Yes please…" she stated quietly, adding, "I think…I think I _need_ it."

Realizing her need was an emotional one, not a physical one, Inuyasha felt he had no right to deny her. He wouldn't deny her _anything _she asked of him after the mess today had been.

So it was without words that Inuyasha leaned down, while tilting her head upwards to meet him half way, as he gently pressed his lips upon her own. She melted into him, and he found that he could tell the precise moment when her kiss shifted from desperation fueled by turmoil, to desperation fueled by passion. Lining the edge of her lips with his tongue, he asked silently for entry, and smiled into the kiss when his request was granted, as he delved deeper to explore her fully.

Slowly, he felt her hands creeping up his back, and when her delicate fingers finally, hesitantly, began to rub one of his ears, he leaned into the touch, encouraging her.

Piece by piece, their clothing was shed, until Kagome found herself lying backwards to rest upon his suikan once more, as she saw his unclad form above her, trailing his tongue lovingly over her body. Reaching his destination, he took his time making sure she was ready to receive him.

Kagome moaned in pleasure as her husband prepared her, feeling an inordinately large wave of pleasure burst forth from the simple recognition that that was precisely _who _he was. It had taken her death for her to realize how much he actually loved her. Not too many people got second chances like hers, and she knew to cherish it. All thought left her then, as she felt her nerve endings explode, screaming his name in her passion.

Climbing back up her body, Inuyasha was surprised when Kagome suddenly, almost frantically pulled him down by his rosary, though he didn't fight her when she raised her lips to his in another round of kissing.

"Whenever you're ready, koi." he whispered between kisses, and she knew he meant for her to get up onto her knees.

"I don't like it that way, I can't see your face, and it made me think you wished I was someone else."

He pulled back from their kiss at her words, a little hurt, but mostly surprised. How else could they possibly do it?

"I…" Inuyasha paused, stifling his pain at the implication she'd made of him possibly fantasizing. "I know it's you, koi, no one else has your scent." he wished to clarify for her. He smiled when he saw her nod in understanding, expressing that while she'd believed what she'd believed in the past, she now knew the truth. "But…how can we do it differently?" he asked her next, adding, "I don't think we can." The uncertainty of his statement revealed to her that he wouldn't deny her, he was merely uneducated.

_Of course he only knows to do it that way, he's inu_… Kagome realized, and while her thoughts remained a mystery to him, he was relieved to see her smile widen, feeling the pure love and happiness that was pouring forth from her in that moment.

"Trust me." she whispered, and nodding, he acknowledged that he would do just that.

He was surprised to feel Kagome reach down between them, gripping his length. She'd never before touched him in such a manner, and it sent a strange barrage of sensations rushing through him. He was surprised also, while he was more or less trapped lying atop of her as she gripped both his body as well as the rosary, to feel her suddenly spreading her legs wide beneath him, so that they rested at either side of his own legs. It wasn't until Kagome actually aligned their bodies together that she saw the light of understanding dawn within his eyes.

_He had no idea we could make love facing each other like this_… she chuckled to herself at his expression, but as she saw his love pour into her through his molten orbs of amber, she also realized that he too seemed to prefer it _that _way.

Inching himself forward slowly, he was astounded by the sensations washing through him. He'd had no clue! Was this how humans did it? She must have felt belittled, turned away from him as he'd done, but he didn't know… At least she _knew _he didn't know, and he relaxed as he saw her expression was full of nothing but love and understanding in that moment.

She released her grip of his rosary, then, raising her arms around him and resting her palms flatly against his upper back, as she held him to her. Her legs swiftly followed suit, reaching up to wrap around his waist, and she smiled at the gasp she heard escape him.

_So close_…he pulled out slowly, only to push back in, _I'm so close to her like this, we're almost one_…

Gradually, he picked up his rhythm, but he never did lose himself to the feelings of his physical pleasure, as he kept his steady tempo long into the night, fueled by his drive for _love_, not sex. With each stroke, each thrust, he was apologizing to her, and promising her that she would never feel unloved again, for as long as she lived.

Instead of cries of 'faster' or 'harder' the words to flow from her mouth were a continual string of 'I love you's' and she smiled when each one was returned.

"I love you too, Kagome." he repeated like a mantra.

If only he'd known sooner, but shaking his head, Inuyasha quelled that train of thought, realizing that 'if only's' or 'what if's' weren't going to get him anywhere. They had been granted a second chance, and that was all that mattered. Now, they each knew to look forward, not back, as they shared the rest of their lives together.

~ Fin ~


End file.
